The Best Place on EarthInterview with current student, Patrick Ocampo

Kristina Lao, our Community Liaison, spent some time with Nimbus Student Patrick Ocampo, who will be graduating from Nimbus at the end of this month.

I’m sitting in my over-crowded office, filled with local musicians’ albums, local artists’ artwork, and one wonderful human who I’ve known for a long time, Patrick Ocampo. We both think Nimbus is one of the best places on Earth. I think so, because I get to work in and around passionate, excellent human beings who love music with all their hearts. Patrick, it turns out, thinks very much the same.

Patrick Ocampo with Nimbus instructor Dean Maher

Patrick has been with the school since September 2015. He started with the Music Industry course, followed by Audio Engineering and Production. He is long haul, and quite frankly, we don’t want him to leave. The good thing is, our network of alumni is growing by the minute, and I am very proud to say that even when Patrick graduates with his classmates, they will all still be an active part of Nimbus and what we do – changing lives through music.

Here’s what a typical conversation between myself and Patrick looks like:

I must note, I did NOT ask Patrick to say that. Patrick says things like this to me every day that I see him. His energy and enthusiasm is endless, and endlessly inspiring.

Now, onto to the real questions:

Kristina: What’s one of your favourite memories of Nimbus so far?

Patrick: I think one of my favourite memories of Nimbus was when we had our vocal production assignment for Production 100, and it was a bunch of us doing random vocal samples with Futch (one of the teachers here). We created a beat on the fly, and were messing around with it, creating our own vibe and feel. It gave us a chance to go into a vocal booth and spit out whatever we wanted to say, no matter how much nonsense it was, in the end it was all about creating something that you were proud of, and having fun at the same time!

Kristina: Have you found it useful being here for so many different courses?

Patrick: I have! I found that starting with business really shaped my love for the audio side. Seeing my friends on the audio side spending countless hours and nights in the studio, and coming out with a beautiful piece of art, was just really appealing to me. Knowing the business side of things helped me to appreciate it on another level, and now I get to do it myself!

Kristina: What are you looking forward to once you graduate?

Patrick: What I’m looking forward to the most is bringing music to life. Not just my music, but people in general. I feel like with Nimbus and their job placement support, we get all these opportunities to make more connections, not just after graduation but during our time here. It really helps form a connection to the local scene. I’ve already done a few volunteer opportunities through Nimbus that I’ve learned a lot from.

Kristina: In hindsight, was Nimbus the right choice for you?

Patrick: ABSOLUTELY! When I came to Nimbus, I felt like this was not just a studio, it was more of a home, and a place for students to do what they love. The teachers here are easy to talk to, approachable, they all live and thrive in this industry, which has inspired me, not just as an engineer and a producer, but as a person in general. If it wasn’t for Dean Maher (pictured with Patrick), I don’t think I would have understood what I was doing as much as I do now. He shaped my love for sound.

Located in beautiful, Vancouver, BC, Canada Nimbus School of Recording & Media (formerly Nimbus School of Recording Arts) is the elite music and media school offering small class sizes, mentorship from industry experts, hands-on training, and 24/7 access to our professional studios. Nimbus was co-founded by renowned music producers Bob Ezrin and GGGarth Richardson. All of our courses are taught by current industry professionals. We offer diploma and certificate programs in: audio engineering, music production, video production, post & game audio, live sound and music industry entrepreneurship. Nimbus helps students create their future in music and media.